


Snowbound

by Antecanis



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, M/M, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-27
Updated: 2017-01-26
Packaged: 2018-09-20 02:59:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9472514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Antecanis/pseuds/Antecanis
Summary: Being snowed in and unable to continue their roadtrip upstate isn't the worst thing - no, unfortunately, the motel has only one bed left to offer...





	1. Snowbound

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sleepy_fan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sleepy_fan/gifts).



> This is a gift for the lovely sleepyfan <3 ~ because you said you liked this trope of having to share a bed!

“What do you mean you only have one double bed room left?”  
The receptionist raised an eyebrow at Haytham’s exasperated tone. “I mean exactly that, Sir; we only have one room with a double bed left. With all due respect, but… you’re not the first being stranded here. It’s the only thing I can offer you. So?”  
Connor glanced outside; the heavy snow fall limiting his view to the parking lot in front of the motel, and he could see his father’s SUV slowly getting covered by snow and blending in perfectly with its white surroundings. It was the second motel where they had asked for two rooms; and Connor doubted that they would reach a third in the storm.  
“Very well. I reckon we take it.” Haytham still seemed displeased; but Connor could guess he too knew that there weren’t a lot of options here; they could certainly not sleep in the car for days, could they? And who knew how long that snowstorm would trap them in this godforsaken village?  
  
The double bed seemed smaller than Connor had imagined, and on top of that, there was only one blanket. Of course, his father had immediately inquired if they could get a second one; but had been rebuffed just like before. Apparently, the motel’s routine was heavily interrupted by the storm - which was no real surprise – and there weren’t enough clean blankets left for now.  
Connor had made himself comfortable in one of the cheap chairs; switching through the TV channels without real interest while his father was washing up after the long drive. The young man guessed that the TV wouldn’t work too much longer; the storm outside was growing more violent, and a power outage seemed all too possible. Sighing, he leaned back a bit; pulling his knees up to his chest and shivering despite the thick hoodie he was wearing.  
Not for the first time he regretted having agreed to take this trip with his father. He could be home right now; in his tiny apartment, far away from this storm; cuddling with his dog and maybe watching a new episode of this show he had binge watched up until he had left.  
His relationship to his father had always been… weird. Growing up in a small town with his mother, he had rarely seen the businessman. Only once in a while Haytham had stopped by. He had always brought presents, but the thing Connor had always appreciated most was them going out to watch the stars together. They did that every time his father stayed overnight. He couldn’t remember why they had started doing it, but at some point it was a routine they followed. Sitting at the edge of town and exchanging only few words, they had looked for shooting stars and identified a few constellations. When it was getting cold, Haytham would wrap his arms tightly around the boy while Connor drank some hot cocoa out of a thermos jug. Wordlessly, they had been one soul in these moments. Now, it felt strange to think back to these evenings, because everything had changed after Ziio had died.  
Connor had moved in briefly with Haytham; somewhat expecting them to grow closer; maybe go out and watch the stars in pleasant silence. But of course, he was older now; almost of age, and there was no stargazing with Daddy anymore.  
Instead, Haytham was out for work most of the time, and the young man felt alone. He had picked up sports during college; being away most of the evenings. They didn’t talk much in general, and if anything, Haytham seemed to only get more distant the more time passed with them living together.  
Connor didn’t complain when Haytham soon offered to pay him some monthly allowance so he could afford his own apartment.  
The young man liked living on his own; having pets and organizing his own daily life. He was working in a thrift store; he liked getting piercings and tattoos; liked to make music with his friends, do some charity work and try out different hairstyles now and then; sometimes wearing them long, then again fancying an undercut. It was not a particular successful life in a business way of looking at it; but it was good.  
Only sometimes, when it was dark already, he would lie in bed, somewhat longing for someone to be there with him; and weirdly enough the person he missed most during these times was Haytham.  
When his father had asked to join him on a business trip upstate, he had only reluctantly agreed. He wasn’t sure he was ready to spend so much time with Haytham; not because of Haytham’s distant behavior in the past, but because of his own strange longing as of late.  
But, as he had convinced himself, maybe it would be good for the two of them. Switching off the TV, he pulled out his phone, with some annoyance noticing that he had no service. His friend Aveline had promised to sit his dog and send lots of pictures while he was gone, and he didn’t like the feeling of being cut off. Sighing, he ran a hand over his face; tired but unwilling to go to bed. Maybe he should just sleep in the chair.  
  
After they had eaten some sandwiches they had gotten at a gas station earlier, Connor had washed up as well and now exited the bathroom; his heart for some reason beating a bit faster at the prospect of sleeping in the same bed as the other. Of course, it wasn’t really a big deal, but…  
Haytham had already slipped beneath the blanket; his broad back turned towards Connor. The young man hesitantly joined him; slightly uncomfortable because he didn’t know what he was supposed to do. If he was going to sleep as far away from Haytham as possible, the blanket would let in the cool air between them; but he also couldn’t sleep right next to the other, could he?  
The blanket proved even smaller than the young man had thought; probably due to both their broad frames taking up quite a bit of fabric to be wrapped around.  
Haytham didn’t complain as Connor shifted just a bit closer; trying to leave some space between them without having half of his body peek out of the blanket.  
It took him a long while to fall asleep. He was nervous for no apparent reason.  
  
When he woke up in the early hours of the morning, Haytham seemed still asleep. He had shifted during the night, now lying with his face turned towards Connor. The young man blushed as he surfaced from strange dreams and found himself face to face with the other; having him close and feeling his warmth even though their bodies didn’t touch. Connor’s eyes wandered over the other’s peaceful features; his heart beating hard in his chest with the idea of just leaning in a bit closer; placing his lips onto the other’s just to feel them, really… How could he look so gorgeous still? With the short, silvery hair he should look old, but he didn’t. Instead, he looked almost angelic as Connor mused with his heart seemingly beating all the way up in his throat as he shifted just a bit closer.  
When Haytham faintly moved, Connor pulled away as if he had been slapped; instantly surfacing from the weird impulse’s grip. Why would he want to kiss him? This was his father; for heaven’s sake!  
  
The day passed only slowly. For now, they were trapped in the motel; there was no point in leaving. The snow had buried them, and it was still snowing. Around noon the TV stopped working, and reluctantly Connor joined in father in the motel’s lobby; drinking coffee and reading the latest newspaper. Haytham put away the latter upon having Connor sit down next to him, and for a while they busied themselves with an impersonal conversation about the storm; power outages and the prospect of having to find their car again, buried somewhere outside. After an awkward moment of silence, Haytham gave a sigh. “I’m sorry.”, he said and Connor glanced at him with a somewhat surprised expression.  
“For what?”  
“Dragging you along. I know, you’d rather be home than stuck here with me. I asked you for selfish reasons, I was aware of that.”  
“Selfish…?”  
“Yes, quite so. I…” He averted his eyes. “I have missed your presence ever since you moved out; and I felt like we needed another chance to reconnect.”  
And even though those were fatherly words, Connor’s heart missed a beat. “I… I have missed you, too.”, he admitted, feeling slightly awkward doing so.  
A brief smile adorned his father’s features, but all too soon it disappeared again. “I’ll get us something to eat.”, Haytham said, apparently eager to leave the conversation at that and not delve deeper into its emotional implications.  
Connor merely nodded; feeling somewhat light-headed.  
  
On the second evening, Connor fell asleep faster; tired because of the nothingness that had happened during the day.  
Something woke him up during the night, and it took him a moment to realize what it was. Still having turned his back towards his father, Haytham had placed an arm around him. It was probably nothing; just an involuntary motion during his sleep; and still… Connor’s heart sped up as he tried not to move; wondering what he was supposed to do. For a long while, he simply stayed as he was; realizing that he liked the feeling; that this would be the exact feeling he would try to recall when he was back home during dark evenings; Haytham’s arm around him and his steady breath waving hot over Connor’s neck now and then. Still, their bodies didn’t exactly touch; the arm was above the blanket and otherwise, Haytham was not pressed against him. Weirdly enough, that was something Connor noticed with a feeling of regret; somehow wishing to be just a bit… closer.  
Shifting backwards carefully, he only stopped when he could feel the other’s body close to his’; his father’s warmth suffusing him pleasantly.  
Sighing inaudibly, Connor closed his eyes again; his heartbeat drowning out every other sound. Like this, he tried to fall asleep again, but for a long time, he couldn’t. Then, when Haytham moved and withdrew his arm, a vague bitterness overcame him; having wished to fall asleep like that. He kept close to Haytham’s body regardless; pressing his back against the other’s and finally, sleep found him again.


	2. Thawed

During the day, Connor was distracted; trying to think back to the time when he had lived with Haytham. Had he felt like this back then, too? Only slowly he realized that it had been similar; a feeling of jealousy overcoming him whenever Haytham had been out with colleagues from work; and an utter adoration taking a hold of him whenever he had seen his father half-naked, in a new suit, still sleepy with messy hair and just some shorts and a washed out shirt covering his muscular body… Back then, he wouldn’t have admitted any of this; but it had been there, just buried beneath layers of shame and unwillingness to accept that… What was it, really? That he had a hard-on for his own Dad? Shaking his head, Connor wished he could stop thinking about it; analyzing his own behavior over the course of the past years. Was this the reason he hadn’t dated anyone in such a long time?  
“What’s wrong?”  
“Hmm?” Connor surfaced from his brooding; glancing at his father, who sat on the bed and had typed something on his laptop until now.  
“You were sighing so heavily. You missing home?”  
Not exactly, the young man thought with confusion. I’m missing you, even though you’re right here with me. “No, it’s just… I miss… miss my dog, you know?”  
Giving an understanding hum, Haytham concentrated back on his laptop. “We might be able to leave tomorrow; the radio in the receptionist’s office said it might actually thaw during the night. So; fingers crossed this wicked storm is over.”  
“Yeah”, Connor muttered, not meaning it.

In the afternoon, while Haytham was in the shower, the receptionist knocked at their door and Connor went to open it.  
“You, uh, you were the ones inquiring about another room, right?”  
“Yes?” Connor stood by the door, not quite sure he wanted to hear what the other had to say.  
“I don’t have a two bed room, but I could offer you an additional single room; someone left today; trying to push through the fading storm, you know?”  
“I, uh…” Connor glanced back at the bathroom; for a moment listening to the rushing sound of water; trying to make sure Haytham couldn’t overhear the conversation. “We don’t need it. It’s… not so bad, really. The bed is big enough.”  
Raising an eyebrow, the receptionist seemed a bit taken aback. “Fine. Just wanted to make sure you have everything you need.”  
“Thanks.” With that, Connor closed the door in the other’s face; his heart beating hard in his chest. This was ridiculous… But if they might leave tomorrow, he had to… had to… just one more night like this; close.  
Only now he realized that the rushing had stopped, and in that moment the bathroom door was opened; revealing Haytham with just a bath towel around his waist. Swallowing heavily, Connor could feel how he blushed; averting his eyes and taking a step away from the door.  
“Who was that?”  
“The, uh, the receptionist.”  
“What did they say?”  
“That… that they don’t have another room.” Connor’s stuttering made it hard for him to feel like his lie wasn’t obvious.  
“And they came only to repeat that?”  
“Uh, yeah, seems like it…”  
Giving a hum of incomprehension, Haytham vanished into the bathroom again to shave and put on some clothes. For all that Connor cared, he could’ve stayed just like that.

The third night, Connor tried to fall asleep to no avail; being wide awake with his heart beating faster whenever Haytham moved even slightly; hoping the other might shift just a bit closer again; maybe place an arm around him once more…  
Eventually, after what felt like hours, Connor turned around. Haytham was lying on his back; his face slightly turned towards Connor and an arm over the blanket resting on his stomach.  
Driven by the realizations of the past two days and the knowledge it was the last night like this, Connor shifted closer; carefully watching whether or not the other showed any sign of waking up. Pressing up to the other, the young man placed an arm around him under the blanket and enjoyed the warmth that instantly seemed to embrace him.  
Pressing his face against Haytham’s shoulder, he looked at the other’s beautiful features before closing his eyes and letting a deep, happy sigh escape his throat.  
“I know you’re awake.” His father’s voice was husky, and Connor froze; slowly opening his eyes again to find the other’s mildly resting on him. With embarrassment painting his cheeks in a bright pink, he tried to come up with an explanation – any explanation. “It… it was cold?”, he said, not daring to move an inch.  
“Nonsense.” His father raised a brow. “I heard you declining the other room, Connor.” There was a breathiness to his dark voice that let the young man shudder; not knowing what to do or say. But before he could come up with any more weak excuses, Haytham leaned in closer; gently placing his lips onto Connor’s.  
Giving a soft sound of surprise, the young man instantly parted them to respond to the kiss; his mind spinning with incomprehension and want. As their kiss grew hungrier, Haytham wrapped his arms around the other; pulling him close and tangling their legs.  
Only pulling away to regain his breath properly, Connor looked at the other with disbelief clouding his eyes; feeling like he was dreaming.  
“You’re a terrible liar, Connor.” Haytham said, slightly breathless, too. “But it’s one of the things I really love about you.” With that, he cupped the other’s cheek and leaned in close again; gently pressing a kiss to Connor’s cheek; to his jaw and eventually, his lips.  
With his heartbeat speeding up again, the young man tried to move just a bit closer; wondering since when Haytham had looked at him like this; realizing that maybe… just as long as Connor had; denying it, pushing it away until now.

When Connor woke up in the morning, Haytham wasn’t in bed with him anymore, and for a long moment, he tried to figure out whether or not he had just dreamed. Sitting up and running a hand over his face he looked around; not seeing his father anywhere. The bathroom door was opened, but there was no sound of water rushing. As he sat there, he suddenly wondered if Haytham had maybe left him; having realized how illicit their night had been…?  
But amidst these gloomy thoughts, the door to their room was opened, and letting in a chilly breeze with him, Haytham stepped inside again; carrying a few grocery bags and a thermos jug. Smiling at Connor, he closed the door behind himself and placed the things on the small table in their room.  
“Good morning, father.” Shivering a bit, Connor wrapped the blanket around himself as he got up; approaching the other; somewhat at a loss as of how to greet him; still not convinced Haytham would allow those things from last night to continue during the day. But that decision was taken from him when the other reached out for him and pulled him close; their faces close for a moment of hesitation before their lips locked once more.  
When they pulled away, Connor remained in his father’s arms just a while longer; resting his head on his shoulder and enjoying the other’s warmth and closeness.  
“It has thawed.” Haytham remarked after a while, patting the other’s back before letting go of him and unpacking what turned out to be breakfast.  
Trying to hide his disappointment, Connor sat down and wondered if this could continue beyond their little road trip; if this was really how it could be between them from now on…  
Suddenly, a finger caressed his chin and proceeded to have him look up again. “There is no point for me to drive further; the meeting I was supposed to reach is over. We were stuck for too long here.”, Haytham said, and to Connor this sounded even worse; it seemed to mean that the two of them would have to return home that very day; not even spending as much time together as initially planned.  
But Haytham let out a little laugh at his son’s obvious train of thought. “No, Connor, I was thinking we could stay here for a few days longer, maybe go out sometime, and watch the stars…”  
Struggling out of the blanket, the young man flung his arms around his father and tried to kiss every revealed part of the other’s skin that presented itself right there; relief and warmth flooding through him.  
“I love that idea.”, he muttered, looking at his father, who pulled him onto his lap.  
“And I love _you.”_


End file.
